Your dentist can use several different methods to whiten your teeth either in the office or at home. Generally, the methods they use will bleach your teeth with carbamide peroxide. This breaks down to hydrogen peroxide and urea and targets the tooth’s color in a chemical reaction. It’s considered a safe way to whiten teeth.

An in-office whitening treatment can be beneficial because it works very quickly. The whitening effect may also last longer. Often, you may only need an hour treatment or a few visits to whiten your teeth. This is because the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the applied products is greater than in products you use at home. In-office treatments are recommended if you have receding gums or abfraction lesions as well.